The proposed buyout by GFA Federal Credit Union of a troubled New Hampshire savings bank continues to generate industry interest but with a pivotal question: Can the credit union and bank clear the legal hurdles with the NCUA, the Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC.

The $300 million GFA Federal Credit Union of Gardner, Mass., said Friday it is making good on a five-year-old dividend payoff to its members traced to loan loss recovery on a merger with a tiny Massachusetts CU.